Mother Killed Trying to Retrieve Phone From Train Tracks

A young mother from Surrey, England, has been struck and killed by a train after going onto the tracks to retrieve a dropped cell phone. The young mother, Charlene Pickering leaves behind a 4-year-old son.

Witnesses stated that they saw Pickering arguing with her boyfriend, Daniel, before dropping her phone onto the train tracks. Alison Evans, British Transport Chief Inspector issued the following statement: “We believe at this stage that the woman went onto the tracks to retrieve her mobile phone before being struck by the train.”

She added, “This appears to have been a tragic accident and our thoughts remain with the woman’s family at this very difficult and sad time for them.”

Witnesses told reporters that the train was traveling at approximately 60 miles per hour, which is not unusual for a train. Express trains often reach speeds of 75 miles per hour, and several citizens have called for speeds to be reduced in order to protect potential riders.

One report by The Future of Rail, though, said that the United Kingdom’s national rail transport system has reduced the number of fatalities per year to its lowest level since 1940. Accidents that result in fatalities tend to get a lot of media attention and bring up issues of safety.

“Charlene was the light of our lives and with her infectious smile she brightened the world of all who knew her. She is survived by her 4-year-old son Toby, who will fortunately have the support of his loving father Owen and his many family and friends to help him through this traumatic time,” a statement by her family stated.